A trade blotter is a record of trading activities that captures all the details associated with each individual transaction. It is a vital tool used by traders and brokerage firms to document their activities, monitor performance, comply with regulatory requirements, and detect unethical activity. The blotter is updated in real time, so it is a great way to ensure that all transactions are accurately and promptly recorded and processed.

The blotter provides information about each traded security, including the symbol, date and time of execution, quantity, price per share or unit, broker involved in the transaction, and other relevant data points. The blotter also displays the status of each deal, such as matched, unmatched, or canceled. It is important to regularly reconcile the blotter with custodian or broker records to ensure that all trading activity is properly recorded.

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Traders can use the blotter to determine their trade performance, which securities or instruments are performing best and identify trends or patterns in their trading behavior. Moreover, it is helpful for detecting discrepancies and anomalies in the market. By sorting the blotter by different parameters, such as trade date or price, traders can quickly identify and investigate any suspicious activity.

The trade blotter is available to all users with access to the MarketWatch platform and can be found under Trade Reports in the Main Reports section. You can schedule the report to generate daily at a specific time by selecting it from the Schedule Daily at drop-down list and clicking Save. When the blotter is ready to view, it displays as a link on the Main Reports screen with the name Daily Trade Blotter CSV. Click the link to open the blotter in a separate window.